Dave Bors, head football coach at Riverside, was recently named the Liberty Ford Coach of the Year.

The award ceremony featured Bors being announced as the winner among five finalists. A $5,000 donation was made to Riverside's athletic department.

Other area finalists were VASJ's John Storey and Chardon's Mitch Hewitt.

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"Obviously, it's extremely humbling," Bors said. "It's a great honor. When my name was called, there was a lot of emotion. Wow, this is so great for Riverside."

After nominations were taken, the field was cut to five finalists. The judging criteria included marks for coaching excellence (34 percent), sportsmanship and integrity (33 percent) and commitment to the community (33 percent).

A public voting phase was done online, with Bors coming out the winner. Voters could vote once per day on the Liberty Ford website, Bors said.

"To be chosen, even nominated, was such an honor," Bors said. "This goes to show you how much support there is in the Riverside community."

Bors led Riverside to a 7-3 record this season. The football program, as well as other extracurricular activities, were subject to a high pay-to-participate fee, which whittled the football roster considerably.

Throughout the season, Bors did not focus on the pay-to-participate issue and continuously accentuated the positive. He continued that stance after winning the award.

"As a head coach, you get isolated, but by no means is this just me," Bors said. "It's the kids, the parents, the Riverside community. So many great things are going on here at the school, like our academic rating.

"(Winning the Liberty Ford award) is exciting from a community standpoint. But there are a lot of good things going on here at Riverside."